The Ultimatum
by emmiebee11
Summary: 'She then collapsed in the armchair behind her and huddled her knees up too her chest, mumbling something into them and she looked up at him. He felt like he would faint when he saw her brown eyes glistening...' *ABANDONED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE*
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: Obviously, I am not J.K. Rowling so I do not own the characters or etc. If I did, I would live in a luxurious apartment overlooking the Big Ben in London and I would be a bazillionaire. But I'm not. I am living with my parents and little brother in a ranch style home in Arkansas (USA). So, as you can see, I am definitely not J.K. Rowling (as much as I'd love to be). (P.S. What I REALLY would have loved was to be in the movies, but NO, I was a toddler!) Sorry for my blubbering, please enjoy.**

Ron sat in the Gryffindor common room fidgeting over his exam notes. It was almost one in the morning, and Harry and Hermione had retired to bed a few hours ago. He still had about three years worth of notes to look over, though he couldn't bring himself to open one more book to look at an even more worn-out bit of parchment. He just really needed to think- to think about Hermione, to think about whatever might be going through her bloody intelligent mind. He couldn't go back to the dorm; Harry could too easily read his expression, his mind, his noncommittal grunts, and his snores. For Merlin's sake, he could read Ron better than Hermione could read her beloved books. Because of this, Ron was pretty positive Harry already knew Ron was madly in love with their other best friend. If Ron had the guts to ask, Harry could probably even help him, but Ron was positive that it was more a girl's thing.

So there he was alone in the common room at one in the bloody morning. That was when the trouble started - when Ron finally changed his life for the better. Okay, sure, maybe it wasn't trouble. It was probably actually really a good thing, but it was certainly going to cause _him_ trouble next time he saw Hermione. It was… a book.

It was the most un-Hermione book he had ever laid eyes on.

He hadn't meant to open it; honestly, it just kind of happened. He'd been sprawled out all over his favorite armchair, which was the one he and Harry always fought over. Of course, they did only until Hermione huffed and plopped in the chair next to them, reminding them how immature they were being. Then when Harry and Hermione grew weary and went to their dormitories, Ron noticed Hermione left her bag under her chair. He, of course, picked it up with the intention of dropping it by the bottom of the stairs, but then he changed his mind at the thought that someone might take it. But then he noticed the spine of a worn paperback sticking out of the top of the bag. He didn't think and out of curiosity, took it out.

It gave him quite a fright when he took a good look at the cover. He thought for a moment that this wasn't Hermione's book at all, but sure enough, her name was written in neat cursive inside the front cover. On the cover were a bloke and a girl, and the bloke had his arms wrapped around her waist. She gazed up at him in that sappy sort of way that his mum and dad looked at each other, or like they do in those movies that Hermione sometimes liked to watch when it was her turn to pick out the movie for movie night.

The girl's short blue dress wasn't buttoned and it was quite low cut. Ron was surprised you couldn't see her bellybutton with how it dipped. Her long auburn curls blew all over the place. The bloke was shirtless, and looked down at her like he was about to kiss her. His red hair looked tousled as well. They were on a beach with the sun setting in the distance and wind blowing just so. Ron's eyes popped out of his head even more when he caught sight of the title,_'Ravished', _shining inbold red letters.

He knew what it was then. He knew it was one of those trashy muggle romance novels that Fred and George liked to snatched from mum's book pile. They would read dramatically aloud to Ginny and him when they were just little kids not more than seven, at bedtime, while Percy warned that he would tell mum where her books kept disappearing to. They really used to sneak them out. From what he remembered, they were pretty graphic. Then he thought about it, she was a teenage girl and she _did _have her wild streaks, so it did make sense that her reading probably did, too. She was probably at her time of the month…

_Ugh, women…_, he thought.

Then he randomly turned to somewhere in the middle of the book and began to read:

'_Suddenly, he was right there next to her, tearing at her clothes. The buttons from her dress flew across the beach and she knew she couldn't wear them again. She gave a soft whimper as he rapidly ran his hands all over her. She pushed his leather jacket back and popped his jean button. He pushed her hands away impatiently, taking the jeans off himself and tossing them away, narrowly missing the water. He then began to suck her round…'_

He nearly shrieked and slammed the book closed. He felt the blood rushing to his face and his ears heating up. So Hermione _was _reading a book like… _that_. Speaking of Hermione…

He heard Hermione's soft footsteps coming down the girl's staircase. Then she came into view, rubbing her eyes and looking grumpy, as though she couldn't sleep; she was most likely too stressed about tomorrow's exams to sleep. Then Ron realized with a jolt that she probably came down when she noticed that she had forgotten her bag. He quickly shoved the book into her back and stuffed it back under the chair, only to realize she was already standing right there in a nearly see-thru pajama top and the shortest shorts he'd ever seen. He had to admit she looked hot.

She was tired, but not tired enough to miss the fact he had just hid something in her bag."What're you doing, Ron?" She asked before looking at her bag and realizing what he had seen. "Oh, that's- uh, that's Ginny's she- uh, left it on my, uh, bed yesterday." Her brown eyes tried to avoid his and she shuffled nervously on her feet. He could tell she was lying and softly laughed. Unfortunately, this was not really a good move as her temper flared instantly.

"What? Why are you laughing? I'm telling the truth. I swear!" That made Ron laugh even harder.

"Oh, stop Hermione. You are a terrible liar! Ginny reads stuff sort of like this, but not this extreme! She wouldn't read this if Voldemort himself tied her down and used the _cruciatus curse _on her! She wouldn't read anything that- ahem- _interesting_." Instantly, he received a good smack on the head with the book in question. "Ouch! Hey, sorry. Okay? I honestly didn't know what it was so I-"

"You took it out of my bag and read it, completely invading my privacy!" Hermione huffed, crossing her arms and looking up at Ron. He at least had the decency to look ashamed; he began wobbling on his feet, which Hermione found… cute.

"I said I was sorry," he mumbled, looking like a little kid apologizing to his mum for stealing from the cookie jar. "Besides," he smirked again. "I think we both know you're just upset because I discovered what you've been reading during your- uh, period." He chuckled.

"Ron!"

And with that being said, he took the book from her hands and opened to another page and began reading aloud dramatically.

_"C'mere." He hooked a finger under her chin, guiding her face to meet his, and then proceeded to kiss her, softly, slowly, wonderfully, as if to reassure her that he was telling the truth. That he'd always be there, and always love her, and she was the only thing on earth that really mattered to him."_

He looked down at Hermione again, only to realize that as the moments went by, her face grew redder and redder- and for some reason, his did, too.

"I still can't believe you read these." He mumbled, trying to break the awkward silence that has been swarming them for the past few moments.

She then collapsed in the armchair behind her and huddled her knees up too her chest, mumbling something into them and she looked up at him. He felt like he would faint when he saw her brown eyes glistening, on the verge of tears.

"I _said_, 'Maybe I wouldn't have to read those if _someone _would make my life more… _interesting_.'" Her face was about the color of a tomato now. He looked down at her incredulously. She wasn't saying what he _thought _she was saying-_ was she_? The only thought he could respond with was,

"Well, I'm pretty sure _Vicky _could help you with that, don't you?" He said bitterly, with that mischievous smirk of his. Her embarrassment turned to fury in two seconds flat.

"God, frikkin', _bloody hell_, Ronald!" She yelled so loudly that she could have awoken the entire castle. She seemed to realize how loud she was being, because she lowered her voice, if only marginally, for a moment for the next bit. "I said I wanted _someone _to make my life more interesting, Ronald! By that I meant _you_!" She jabbed her tiny finger into his chest. "What could you _not understand _about that? I have tried and tried and _tried _to be subtle about it, but _someone _can't get it through their thick head that I know you like me! I like you, too! I'm pretty frikkin' sure I'm bloody madly in love with you, and you just stand there all this time staring at me like I'm in a zoo! You're just so bloody _thick _all the time that-"

She was cut off as he urgently pressed his lips against hers, running one large, pale hand through her hair and the other one lifting her smooth, bare leg around him. Before he could, she'd already wrapped her other leg around his waist and was gasping for air. Then she proceeded to press her own lips to his feverishly, and he lowered into the armchair behind him, right by the glowing fire. She straddled over his lap and nearly pinned him against the back of the chair, running her smaller hands through his red hair, trying to get as close to him as humanly possible. He slowly slid his tongue into her mouth, which she graciously invited. When they finally broke the kiss for air, Ron smirked down at her and murmured,

"So you want me to make your life more interesting?" He grabbed her bum with his hands. "That shouldn't be a problem."

**Author's Note: Thank you all so much for reading! I hope you enjoyed. Just so you know, I am in desperate need for a beta so if anyone is up for the job, please let me know ASAP! I got the idea from a wonderful one-shot I read and this chapter was a lot of what was in it, but I cannot remember what it is called so if anyone knows, please tell me so I can properly thank them. I am taking it in an entirely different direction, though, and if you like riddles and mysteries and romance and angst and etc. then you may like this. But I am still QUITE young and I enjoy critique and any type of feedback. Although I will not state how young I am, I will say this: I write all the time, but I have no clue if I am any good at all, and I love to do it. I stay up every night until the wee hours of the morning reading and writing and I have gotten the Good Writer's Award multiple times at my school. Please tell me if I am good or not and some tips. I would really enjoy hearing from you. I am also very nervous about this. I know you are probably getting annoyed at my venting and explaining so thank for reading and PLEASE review!**


	2. Chapter 2

Ron woke up the next morning feeling like the kind of the world. He had his family, he had his friends, and most of all he had Hermione. His great mood, however, was inconveniently spoiled when he heard a loud knocking at his door, and Ginny's demanding voice commanding him to open the door. He rolled out of bed, shirtless and groggy, and went to open the door. Ginny bounded in; fully dressed, demanding to know why he looked as if he had just gotten out of bed.

"Maybe that's because I _did _just get out of bed." He replied, harshly.

"Ronald, it's almost 10:30, and I know it's a weekend, but really Ronald Bilius Weasley, mum taught you better than to lie around like a fool all day! Oh, Harry, fancy seeing you here. Excuse me." She said, spotting Harry shirtless in his own bed. She smirked to herself.

"Yes, Ginivra Molly Weasley, it is the weekend. What in the world do you bloody want now?" He asked impatiently, being excruciatingly hungry and tired.

"Mum owled me, and she wants us home straight away. Bill and Fleur are expecting!" Ginny beamed.

"Bloody hell!" Ron replied, looking quite disgusted. "How in Merlin's name did _that _happen?"

"Ron!" She exclaimed. "Don't make me explain to you how babies happen!"

"Just how do _you _know how babies happen?"

"Well, she also said Hermione could come, but…" She purposefully wandered off; she knew it would get to him.

"Okay, I'll go. But only if Hermione can go."

"Oh, I already asked her and she said the same thing about you. So it looks like we're going! And Harry, you can come, too, if you want." She beamed at him. He swore she was head over heels for him.

"I'd love to. Thanks for inviting me, Ginny." He grinned back, and if Ron didn't know any better, he'd say Harry felt the same way about her. It bugged him; he truly hated it, though he kind of enjoyed their cute little game.

Ginny left them to dress and said she'd meet them in the common room in an hour, and Ron bet she was going to bathe herself in perfume and coat the insides of her mouth with breathe spray, then top it off with an inch of lip gloss. He just hoped she wouldn't get her hopes up. After Harry and Ron dressed and packed, he himself was ecstatic that Hermione would be there. There was bound to be at least one day when mum was out and they could, well, you know, snog.

But first things first, they had to actually get there. It had been almost an hour and they were both ready, so they went down to the common room and were surprised to find the girls were ready as well. Hermione smiled at Ron, also thinking about the night before where they had finally confessed their feelings for each other. He smiled to himself at the thought. And Ron wasn't surprised when she took his hand in hers on the way to the front of the castle; they would all disapparate from there. When they got there, Harry suggested that they would go in pairs. Him and Ginny, saying 'since she hasn't gotten her license yet', and Ron and Hermione. Ginny beamed at Harry when he took her hand. _It fits perfectly_, they both thought simultaneously. Ron and Hermione admitted the same thing to themselves, and they all noticed that after the disapparation Harry still hadn't dropped Ginny's hand as they all walked up to The Burrow. Too busy watching them, they didn't even notice that they hadn't dropped hands.

He and Hermione walked up and opened the door, the other two not far behind them. Mrs. Weasley grasped them tight into her bosom, telling them how happy she was they had all come. She told them that Bill and Fleur would be so pleased, and that they were in the living room with the others. They all walked in the living room and Bill and Fleur immediately jumped up and ran to hug them, the rest coming to see them as well.

"Oh, zank you zo much for coming, children!" Fleur beamed at them.

"Hey, I see little bro and little sis won't be far behind us!" Fred joked, seeing that they were still holding hands. They quickly dropped them and looked embarrassed. "Hey, that's totally fine by me, I love it!"

"Hey Ron!" Percy shouted from the couch. "C'mere!"

"What is it, Percy?" Ron sighed, walking over to him.

"Lemme' teach you a little lesson. If you really love her, snog her. A lot. I mean a lot. That's a sure fire way to keep her from roaming."

"Percy, Hermione's not gonna'-"

He was interrupted before he could finish. "Snog her. A lot. Do it." He flicked Ron off then, just like that, returning to whatever he had been doing before. Ron walked off helplessly. He decided he was hungry, and then suddenly his mum came to the rescue with her famous afternoon snacks_. _He excitedly ran to the kitchen and sat down at the table, followed by Ginny, Hermione, Harry, Bill, Fleur (who stood off to the side just watching, feeling sick at the thought of eating), George, Fred, Charlie, and finally Percy. A snack was just what they all needed.

After the wonderful snack Mrs. Weasley had prepared, Bill and Fleur went to the doctor to check up on their growing child. Mrs. Weasley went to town with Percy and Charlie, and the twins, Ron, Ginny, Harry, and Hermione were staying home. The twins challenged Ron and Harry to Quidditch and they happily accepted. Before they went out to the broom shed, Ginny pulled Harry aside.

"Be careful, Harry." She kissed him on the cheek and walked upstairs to her bedroom. Harry touched the spot where she had just kissed him, and a wide grin spread across his face. After Harry had walked out the door and Ginny was safely upstairs, Ron and Hermione sat at the wooden table for a moment.

"Uh, listen, I wanted to tell you about something Percy told me-"

"I wanted to tell you about something Fleur told me!" Hermione giggled.

"You can go first, Hermione." Ron took her small hand in his. This made her smile.

"Well, hrm, how do I put this? Just as you went to Percy, Fleur pulled me aside. She never had a thing for manners, did she? Well, after she took me all the way to Bill's room, she told me she had something very important to say. I asked her what it was, and then she closed, locked, and charmed the door. She told me that she was going to tell me something and give me something and I couldn't tell a single soul. This worried me, so I knew I would have to tell you. _But_ _you can't tell ANYONE!_ Do you understand? _No one can hear about this"_

"Yes, Hermione, do go on. You're making me anxious."

"She gave me… contraceptive potions."

"No. Way. That cow gave you- _contraceptive potions_? You mean like, for-" He looked extremely shocked. "Why? Did she say why she was giving them to you?"

"She said it was because I was an older teenage girl and all the raging hormones and I was newly in love and-" She looked embarrassed as she handed over a brown paper bag. "She said to give you these from Bill…" When Ron looked into the bag and saw what was in there, his face turned so red, as did Hermione's, and he immediately squished it closed. "And Ron, I have no doubts she didn't smuggle some to Ginny and Harry, as well."

"Well, I'm sure they'll put that up to good use." He smirked and nearly gagged, then corrected himself when he was smacked in the head by Hermione.

"Well, what did Percy say?" Hermione inquired with eager eyes, trying to change the subject.

"He told me to snog you, a lot, he kept saying, or you would start seeing other blokes…"

"Well I sure hope you didn't believe any word he said about it! Well, maybe the snogging a lot part, but still…" Hermione giggled and looked down. "Well, I'll, er, hide that under your pillow. You be careful, now, my Quidditch Prince." She kissed him quickly before running up the stairs.

**Author's Note: I am pleased to announce that I now have the best beta in the world! MUAHHAHAHAHAHAHA! Sorry. Got a little carried away. But seriously, ObsessedRHShipper is the best beta in the universe and I am very happy that she is the beta for this story! She has pointed out many mistakes I have made (such as accidently posting the original document instead of the bat version) Anyways, big thanks to her and to anyone reading! I am very blessed to have recieved so many wonderful reviews. I am particularly flattered with the many, many, many story alerts, author alerts, and favorite story things I have gotten. So thank you all, and happy February 7th (which I figure must be some holiday somewhere). :{D**


	3. Chapter 3

After the quite vigorous game of Quidditch, Ron and Harry went inside to find the girls, while Fred and George went to Hogsmeade. Harry found Ginny laying on her bed listening to soft music, and he snuck in and closed the door, making sure to lock it. Ron shook his head, swearing to himself. He began searching for Hermione, asking the mirrors if they had seen her. None of them had, until he reached the mirror in one of the bathrooms on the third floor. The mirror said he had seen Hermione; she had been in there recently, but hadn't done anything except stand there looking at herself in the mirror, with a worried look all over her face.

"Did she say anything?" he asked, hopelessly confused.

"I'm not going to tell you anything the poor girl said." The mirror replied sharply.

Ron grimaced. He hated this particular mirror, and it hated him. "Mirror, I love her, and I want to know what she said so I can find her!"

"Fine. I'll tell you this. Maybe it can help you find your… _beloved one_." The mirror smirked, looking disgusted.

The mirror recited a riddle to him, and Ron of course was lost. Ron frowned. "Could you say that again? And this time, a lot slower," he asked the mirror as he dug around in his pocket desperately searching for a quill. When he finally did and got a hold of some parchment, he wrote down the riddle that the mirror grudgingly repeated for him slowly.

After Ron had the riddle, he sat down at the table with a separate sheet of parchment. He needed to figure out what it meant. He kept telling himself to think like Hermione. What would Hermione do? She would decipher each line or section until she had a brief description of what it meant. He was really excited when Harry and Ginny walked in; he knew they could help him. "Hey Harry? Ginny? Could you help me with this riddle?" he asked, not looking up from the parchment.

"Why do you need to decipher a riddle?" Ginny asked him. She looked worn out and tired, as did Harry and this made Ron grimace.

"Well, when I went looking for Hermione, I searched this place up and down and couldn't find her. So I asked all the mirrors and one of them said he had, but wouldn't tell me anything except this stupid, long riddle. I don't exactly understand most of it."

Harry and Ginny sat next down across from him. Ron told them he was sure Hermione would do something like decipher it piece by piece, and Harry said, "Read each section of it aloud, maybe we can find a pattern."

"Okay, here it goes." Ron read the first section of the riddle aloud.

"To find the girl with brunette hair,

Who happened to be standing there,

You must not fret or close your eyes,

For behind every corner there lies a surprise."

"Well that's easy," Ginny began. "It's basically saying Hermione was standing there, wherever there is; she probably was in front of the mirror. It says you can't worry and you have to look really close and pay attention to everything because you never know what you will find."

"Brilliant, Ginny!" Harry exclaimed. "You have a knack for this. Well, go on."

Ron read the next bit.

"Don't listen to their nasty jokes,

Or pay attention to the rotten blokes,

They'll try to lead you quite astray,

But just remember what I say."

"Well," said Harry. "I'm guessing it's just telling you to remember the riddle because people are going to make some jokes and some rotten blokes are going to try to lead you away from finding Hermione."

"Yes, yes, that's what I was thinking." Ron replied, smiling. "Then it goes on to say:

You'll find your better half in half,

Not too far from the mother's calf,

And if you are not fit to go,

You won't make it to the large chateau."

"I doubt Hermione's going to be in half, but I also doubt it's about finding milk." Ginny giggled, setting off a fit of laughter.

"You're right. What about the rest of it?"

"I think it's saying that you have to be strong and prepared for anything, or you won't make it past some big house. The biggest house I know of it Malfoy Manor, and hopefully you won't be going by there again."

"Yeah, hopefully," Ron's eyes began to glisten at the memory, but he blinked the tears away. "And um, then it says:

For your journey is long, but could be short,

But to find this way, you must consult the consort,

Don't be afraid to let your feelings show,

Because the reason you stay is the reason she'll go."

"Hmm. The trip is going to be very long, but you could make it short. Well that makes me think of disapparating. But we don't know what this way is because we have to find it out by having a conversation with the, er, consort. Consort as a noun means either the husband or wife of a reigning monarch or a family that plays the same or similar instruments."

"Merlin, Ginny, you could be the next Hermione!" Harry patted her on the back, and Ron fidgeted again. It gave him a somewhat lonely feeling inside.

"I bet this way is some wizard way, and I don't believe any king or queen is going to be a wizard, but then again you never know. So I guess I'll have to find a family that is full of the same instrument players." Ron thought.

"And it then talks about you can't be afraid to let your feelings show and you have to be open about them, which _I_ understand. And that the reason you are staying is the reason that she left," Harry went on.

"Well, I know that I should really be more open about the way I feel, especially with her…" He began to trail off, but shook his head. "But we're here because Fleur is, er, _with child_. I thought she was happy for them. She said she wanted to come. That's the reason I'm staying, to support Fleur and Bill through this- _time_. Well, and to maybe spend some time with Hermione."

"She could be gone for either of those reasons. But we don't know if this was a choice or by force." Ginny said, thinking hard. This was where they would definitely have a problem. "Obviously, this is very important to figuring out where she went. I'm really confused here. It's the reason she went for Merlin's sake, and we have no clue what she's thinking. Apparently, the fact you can't show your feelings is related somehow to why you stay and why she goes."

"Oh, Ginny, you have some great insights. I think you're right about this connection thing! Maybe she left because you haven't been open about your feelings yet. Isn't that why you stayed? To show her some way that you love her?" Harry exclaimed, seeming as if he just solved world peace.

"Yes! Yes, Harry, yes! Thank you, you guys! I want you to come with me to help me find her. I know somehow you can help."

"And just like the riddle said, we have to be prepared. Let's go pack, and be prepared for anything and everything. Remember that. That means who knows how many pairs of underpants you'll need. Hear me?" Ginny pointed a sharp finger at them.

"Yes ma'm!"

**Author's Note: Sorry it has been a little while since I last updated! This last chapter was so crazy hard to fix up so it took a few days. Big apologies. I had tons of trouble writing this one and many praises go out to my awesome beta, ObsessedRHShipper. She rocks and I feel bad because I made her go through the process of beta-ing the crappy mess that was the original chapter!**


	4. Chapter 4

For Ron, the wait seemed like forever. He wanted to go find Hermione. They had been packed and primed for days, but the weather was holding them back. Ron had wanted to go anyway. He did not mind the storm, that is, up until a lightning bolt set the yard into flames and they had to put it out themselves. Mum and the others were so shocked when they were told of Hermione's disappearance. Although Fleur wanted them there and Mum wanted them safe, they all agreed on the fact that the trio had to go find Hermione. They knew she hadn't been taken, but these were dangerous times. Even though the Dark Lord had been defeated, others were upset and looking for revenge. Anyone could be lurking around the nearest corner ready for a duel.

When Ron was finally convinced that they had to stay until the weather calmed down, he never moved from the window, constantly watching to see when the weather would stop. He only left to use the loo and refused even to eat. He would listen to his radio if he was lucky enough to get a signal, but otherwise, he sat in silence with his eyes glued to the land and sky. He wouldn't even talk to anyone.

The weather was bad. The radio continuously reported fire, and it never quieted in the house. The rain pounded on the roof, and it begged to be absorbed by the already dripping Earth. The thunder continued to boom, and it never heard a response. The lightning continued to flash, but its hunger was never satisfied. Ron began to worry if they would ever make it out.

They had not been able to leave for town to get food, and were constantly having to use their magic to increase quantities of their small supply. They were stuck with the same meals over and over, because as much as Mrs. Weasley looked, she couldn't find any more recipes that only used the few ingredients they had. Meals were silent; nobody had any news or new conversation topics as they were all stuck inside.

Fleur's morning sickness was the most exciting thing that ever happened. Whenever she was sick, everyone was so bored that they all rushed to her to offer help. Yet she only accepted Bill or Mrs. Weasley, and the others just left in silence. None of them even had the desire to talk to each other anymore; they were all becoming weary and depressed. They would decline any offer of something to do. They also could not receive outside help as they couldn't leave and the doctors couldn't come. Most had begun to think they would be stuck here forever, and would eventually have to try to perform the birth of Fleur's child themselves. Nevertheless, Ron still had a glint of hope that they would be able to leave soon.

Finally, after weeks of storms, the sun shone and Ron was so overjoyed that he jumped up with his bag and exploded out the door, only to be surprised when he sunk into the ground after taking one step outside. The Earth was like a big sponge. Ron sank deep down into the ground in a matter of seconds. He was so infuriated that he began shouting at the Earth. He began punching, kicking, throwing, and swearing; he seemed to have gone almost mad. Everyone was so afraid to go and try to help him during his fit of fury.

It took twenty minutes to calm him down enough to be brought inside. He was dragged straight into the shower and the boys had to forcefully remove his clothes and shower him off while he still shouted and swore, flailing about like a maniac. He was put into his bed and Harry finally calmed him down enough to try to start a conversation. "Ron, why are you acting so wild?"

Ron shot up in bed and looked at Harry as if he was barmy. "I need to see Hermione. I need to hear her voice! I need to know she's safe and that she's not dead! I can't take it any longer. We have to go _NOW_!"

Ginny crept in and knelt by his bed, taking his hand in hers; deep inside, she was afraid he would slap it away or begin to throw another fit. She sighed when he didn't, but relaxed. "Ron, please, we're trying as hard as we can. Harry, close the door." She remained silent until it was closed, locked, and silenced and Harry was back on the other side of the bed. "Ron, we have to wait until we can actually walk outside without sinking into the ground, before we can even leave the house. That could take a long time, or it could take ten minutes. We'll never know until we wait and see. But until then, Ron, just please, please…" She didn't need to say anymore, he nodded and closed his eyes, leaning his head back onto the headboard.

"Ginny, don't leave. You being here comforts me; it reminds me of how Hermione is."

Ginny face twisted, but suddenly softened as she climbed up to sit on the edge of his bed. "I won't, Ron, I won't leave until you're asleep."

Harry opened his mouth to protest, but closed it again when he saw how sweet they looked. He only turned out the light and climbed into his own creaky bed across the room. He could still make out Ginny's silhouette against the moon, which was low in the sky out the window. She reached out to touch Ron's face.

It had only been an hour or so since Harry and Ron had both dozed off, but Harry was startled when he felt a soft hand shaking him awake. "Harry!" the voice loudly whispered. "Harry, can I sleep with you? I think Fred and George are out there and I don't want them to see me leaving the room at this hour!"

"Mhm," answered Harry, quickly opening up the covers as she clambered into the little bed next to him. He hugged her close, and this would be exactly where Ron would find them the next morning and cause him to become temperamental again.

**Three days later**

It was shorter than expected for the ground to dry enough for them to leave. They were all ready to leave and Mrs. Weasley had made them an exceptionally large, mouth-watering meal so they could make it through the day. Now Ron was excited, as he marched around the house in his underpants as if he was the only one there, singing his favorite tune.

But his triumphant and excited mood was interrupted when he heard a gasp from Fleur as she walked down the stairs to get some medicine for her morning sickness. After seeing him, she averted her eyes and said, "Oh, um, sorry Ron! I just couldn't vait for zis!" She did not realize that she herself had her shirt up and was showing her stomach, which was now a small bump, slathered with what Ron thought was some sort of buttery substance.

"Oh, it's fine!" He said, standing behind a chair, where he pulled on some shorts. "You can look now." He announced, emerging from his hiding place. "I hope you don't mind me asking, but what is that?" he asked, making a face. He wondered how she would react; he had heard that pregnant women had mood swings.

"Oh, it's just cocoa butter. It reduces zi appearance of zi _vergetures_."

"What?"

"_Vergetures_. Stretch marks. Zi stomach expand ven zi voman is expecting zi baby, and ven vi have zi baby, zere are marks vere zi baby vas, vere zi skin stretch._ Vous avez beaucoup à apprendre, mon petit garçon, si vous voulez un jour être un père._ You have a lot to learn if you vil be father vone day."

"Oh, but, er, why does the skin stretch? Where is the baby?"

Fleur chuckled. "You vil have much to learn, Ronald. Ask your mother zat question. You vil see."

Ron thought it was best if he didn't.

**Author's Note: So there you are. They are finally getting ready to leave. Let's just hope they find Hermione soon, because I am NOT writing 30 chapters! I hope to make this a 10 chapter fic. Big big thanks again to ObsessedRHShipper, my super-duper awesome beta. I also want to say a huge thanks to all who have been reviewing. I am flattered by all the favorite author, favorite story, and story alerts I have gotten! They truly make my day. Thanks again. :{D**


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: Obviously, I am not J.K. Rowling so I do not own the characters or etc.**

**AN: In this chapter, I'll be using quotes directly from the ****Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire**** and ****Harry Potter and The Order of the Phoenix****.**

_"Well, obviously, she's feeling very sad, because of Cedric dying. Then I expect she's feeling confused because she liked Cedric and now she likes Harry, and she can't work out who she likes best. Then she'll be feeling guilty, thinking it's an insult to Cedric's memory to be kissing Harry at all, and she'll be worrying about what everyone else might say about her if she starts going out with Harry. And she probably can't work out what her feelings toward Harry are anyway, because he was the one who was with Cedric when Cedric died, so that's all very mixed up and painful. Oh, and she's afraid she's going to be thrown off the Ravenclaw Quidditch team because she's been flying so badly"_

_A slightly stunned silence greeted the end of this speech, then Ron said, "One person can't feel all that at once, they'd explode."_

_"Just because you've got the emotional range of a teaspoon doesn't mean we all have," said Hermione nastily, picking up her quill again. _

He didn't want to wake up.

_"We should get a move on, you know...ask someone. He's right. We don't want to end up with a pair of trolls."  
Hermione let out a sputter of indignation.  
"A pair of...what, excuse me?"  
"Well - you know," said Ron, shrugging. "I'd rather go alone than with - with Eloise Midgen, say."  
"Her acne's loads better lately - and she's really nice!"  
"Her nose is off-center," said Ron.  
"Oh I see," Hermione said, bristling. "So basically, you're going to take the best-looking girl who'll have you, even if she's completely horrible?"  
"Er - yeah, that sounds about right," said Ron.  
"I'm going to bed," Hermione snapped, and she swept off towards the girls' staircase without another word. _

He wanted to never, ever open his eyes… he wanted to keep dreaming.

_"All the good-looking ones taken, Ron?" said Hermione loftily. "Eloise Midgen starting to look quite pretty now, is she? Well, I'm sure you'll find_ _someone somewhere who'll have you."  
But Ron was staring at Hermione as though suddenly seeing her in a whole new light.  
"Hermione, Neville's right - you are a girl..."  
"Oh well spotted," she said acidly.  
"Well - you can come with one of us!"  
"No, I can't," snapped Hermione.  
"Oh come on," he said impatiently, "we need partners, we're going to look really stupid if we haven't got any, everyone else has..."  
"I can't come with you," said Hermione, now blushing, "because I'm already going with someone."  
"No, you're not!" said Ron. "You just said that to get rid of Neville!"  
"Oh did I?" said Hermione, and her eyes flashed dangerously. "Just because it's taken you three years to notice, Ron, doesn't mean no one else has spotted I'm a girl!" _

But it was painful. It was hurting him like a torture curse or a good kick in the britches. He didn't feel well thinking of her … and all the times he had completely overlooked her.

_He climbed into the common room and found Ron and Hermione having a blazing row. Standing ten feet apart, they were bellowing at each other, each scarlet in the face.  
"Well, if you don't like it, you know what the solution is, don't you?" yelled Hermione; her hair was coming down out of its elegant bun now, and her face was screwed up in anger.  
"Oh yeah?" Ron yelled back. "What's that?"  
"Next time there's a ball, ask me before someone else does, and not as a last resort!"  
Ron mouthed soundlessly like a goldfish out of water as Hermione turned on her heel and stormed up the girls' staircase to bed. Ron turned to look at Harry.  
"Well," he sputtered, looking thunderstruck, "well - that just proves - completely missed the point -" _

"No, no, no, don't open your eyes," shouted the voice in his thick head.

But it was too late.

There was the soft pitter-patter of rain gently dancing on the canvas tent, and Ginny softly padding about in the front room as the wireless played some happy old dancing tune. Then there was the sound of Harry rummaging about in his rucksack, pouring over wrinkly parchment and some map. There was the small _thunk _as an owl landed outside the tent, begging to be let in. He grudgingly opened his eyes, as it was impossible to ignore that another day had come.

Soon he was pulling back the canvas flap and letting the enormous owl inside, which looked to be the Malfoy's great big owl. A thick, stuffed envelope was tied to its foot, and the owl made no move to leave after it was untied. After Ron gave it a few owl treats, he opened the full-to-bursting letter and began to read the simple script.

Dear Ron,

Hi! How are you? It's me, Luna. You are probably wondering what I am doing writing you a letter. Well, I want to tell you some things. You are probably also pondering why I've used Draco's family owl. Well, as you may have guessed, I am staying with Draco again. Mr. Malfoy has very pretty hair, but he doesn't seem that fond of me. Mrs. Malfoy, who asked me to call her Narcissa, is very kind and loving, but I can see in her eyes that she is not completely approving of me. But you know me, Ron, I don't mind.

Anyways, first off, I would like to warn you that there are many Tulsquiglers in the air this season. You might want to scan anything before you eat it, or you could get very sick. You can scan anything you want to with the little scanner I sent you. It should be arriving soon; I had to use the neighbor's owl because Draco's owl couldn't carry it.

Onward with my main purpose, I would like to inform you that I have received word from Hermione. The only thing she has allowed me to pass on is that she sends her love to you, Harry, Ginny, and everyone else and can't wait to see you all again. Other than that, she is doing well from the sound of it, but didn't say anything that revealed where she was or what condition she was in. She only allowed me to relay that short bit of information and told me not to reply her, so I didn't.

Also, we think we have found some sort of clue that may help you. Mr. Malfoy doesn't really want to help you, Mrs. Malfoy doesn't mind because she is nice and you are my friend, and Draco isn't really too fond of you so he told me not to. But then I just persuaded him that I could help you if I want to; although he was mad and disgruntled, he finally agreed. So whenever you want, you can stop by and visit us and I can give it to you. It is just too dangerous to send it by owl or even tell you or someone might find out.

Tell Harry and Ginny that I love and miss them. I love and miss you too, Ron. You are a great friend to have. Also, remember to use some sun-blocking charms so you don't get a sunburn and let the owls stay awhile so they don't get too wet. I hope you find Hermione soon and I wish you the best of luck!

Love, your friend,

Luna

P.S. Do you think I would look good in a wedding dress?

All Ron could think to do is say, "Bloody hell."

**Author's Note: Okay then! Sorry for any waiting period. I've had some really bad writer's block and tons of schoolwork and chronic insomnia on top of that. I don't know how long it will be until the next chapter, but please review and any feedback is loved. God bless, Bella**

**P.S. No, Tulsquiglers are not real magical creatures in J.K. Rowling's magnificent series. I just made them up. :{D**


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